


Let's Ride Into the Sunset Together

by IfThisIsLoveIDoNotWantIt



Category: From Dusk Till Dawn (1996), From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Historical, Alternate Universe - Western, F/M, Multi, Western AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-06 13:40:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11601780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfThisIsLoveIDoNotWantIt/pseuds/IfThisIsLoveIDoNotWantIt
Summary: "How is it that a sweet girl such as yourself was found in the company of those two murderers and thieves?""Are you sure you want to hear the answer to that? It's a long story."In 1885 Katherine Fuller was the only daughter of a local preacher. She was a sweet girl who always attended church and the last anyone saw of her was when the infamous Gecko Brothers came to town.In 1886 she goes by the name of Kate Gecko and is wanted on robbery, assault, and conspiracy to commit murder. A lot can happen in six months.





	1. Bethel

A woman looked across the desk at Ranger Frederico Gonzalez. Her face matching the one on the wanted poster in his hand. An artist had captured her delicate features in broad strokes. A heart-shaped face framed by long dark hair that fell past her shoulder. Wide blue-green eyes, button nose, and small bow mouth. There were two names below the picture, no one knew which is her real name. And below that, the reward amount. Ranger Gonzalez had to remind himself that she was a dangerous woman. Despite her innocent appearance, her capture was worth every last dollar listed there.

And there she sat. The infamous Kate Gecko. Right across the desk from him, handcuffed to a chair, and flanked by two men with rifles. Though from what Gonzalez has heard about her, it might not be enough to keep her put. She  was wanted  on several charges. These included robbery, assault, and conspiracy to commit murder. 

 Despite the situation at hand, Miss Gecko seemed indifferent to the proceedings. Either she didn't recognize the trouble she was in, or she knew something the Ranger didn't. The thought disturbs Gonzalez, but also decides that the poster doesn't do her justice. There was a an ease with which she carried herself that didn't translate to paper.

 Ranger Gonzalez realized then that the woman was staring at him  just  as he was staring at her. Though her gaze wasn't one of assessment, it was a dare. She was daring him to speak. To reveal what he wanted from her. He shifted in his seat all at once uncomfortable under her gaze. Clearing his throat, Gonzalez wished that he had something to drink. Instead he pressed on and hoped that when he spoke, Miss Gecko wouldn't catch his discomfort.

 "Katherine Fuller, isn't it?" He finally croaked out. She didn't even blink. "Or do you go by Kate Gecko now?" This time he thought he could detect a hint of smile on her lips. "You there's lots of stories about you these days. The infamous Kate Gecko. Some say you're the Gecko brothers' long lost sister. That's a popular one. Others call you The Bride, or the Woman in White. All these stories disagree about plenty. But all them can agree that for last few months the same girl's been runnin' around with those Gecko boys." Her face betrays nothing.

 He shifts the pile of papers in his hands. Gonzalez decides to test the waters, see if he can provoke a reaction. "Though, none of those stories ever had me convinced. A little farfetched if you ask me." He glances back her face, unreadable as ever. "Yet, there is one that might be closer to the truth than any of them. You're not some long lost sister or outlaw from back East. From what I hear, you're nothing more than some preacher's little girl."

 There. The faint smile drops from Kate's face at this statement. Ranger Gonzalez smiles to himself, pleased that he managed to get under the woman's skin. "Yup, some preacher's daughter from a backwater town named Bethel." He sees her avert her steely gaze, her eyes drop to her lap. "Yeah, I did some askin' around. Only thing I can't quite wrap my head around is how that sweet girl ended up in the company of murders and thieves."

 Silence. "You care to explain that one for me?"

 Finally she picks up her head and for the first time since she  was brought  before him, Kate Fuller speaks. "Are you sure to want the answer? It's a long story."

 "Sweetheart we've got all the time in the world."

 "But will you believe what I got to say?"

 Gonzalez leans forward, hands clasped, preparing himself for what he's about to hear. "Try me."

 Kate relaxes in her chair. Well as much as one can relaxed when handcuffed. "Well, you got a few things right at least. This whole awful mess started in Bethel. You remember all the fuss the Geckos kicked up after that job in Abilene? Well afterwards they passed through Bethel, trying to lay low..."


	2. A New Acquaintance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I thought thieves and rogues were supposed to be more clever than that."  
> "Actually we prefer the term 'scoundrel'." There was that damn smirk again. "Besides," He leaned in to whisper, coming almost too close for comfort. Almost. "Farmer's daughter only got one thing worth stealing."  
> Back in Bethel, Kate Fuller makes a new friend.

Kate liked swimming in the creek. Maybe because it reminded her of baptism.

She was very young the first time Kate followed her father and the rest of the congregation down to the creek, and dunked some kid underneath the water. Some came into the church old and wrinkled. Some were just children. But they came all the same to hear her father preach.

Kate would watch her father with a reverence usually reserved for saints and martyrs. She was especially entranced with his baptisms. She supposed is was something to do with the cleansing power that it held. The ability to wash away your sins. Kate had eagerly awaited the day that she would finally be baptized. When the day finally came, Kate remembered feeling, disappointed. She doesn't know what she expected. Maybe she thought that when she stepped out of the creek, she would walk away feeling lighter, cleaner. But all she felt was heavy and wet and so very cold.

Yet she still came out the creek. Sometimes everyday. Just to soak in the water. She supposed she was still waiting for that miracle. But as floated in the water that morning, all she could feel was dark shadow looming over her. Leaving her unable to feel the sun warming her bare skin.

'No' Kate thought. That is a shadow.

"Are you okay?"

Shock gripped her chest. In an effort to right herself, Kate lost her orientation and almost sucked down a gallon of water. When she finally corrected herself, she peered up at the shadow through a tangle of dark hair. It wasn’t a shadow, it was a man, though one could easily mistake the two.

With the sun at his back, Kate couldn't make out any features, but a man dressed all in black loomed over her. A broad brimmed black hat obscured his face. Her eyes adjusted and she could see a face. Dark eyes met hers behind a thick pair of glasses.

"I said, are you okay?" Kate stood transfixed as the shadow man spoke.

Blinking water out of her eyes, "I believe so." Her mind was moving sluggishly.

"Me and my horses were just looking for something to drink. I saw you and thought you might be in trouble." Horses. Yes that was right. He was leading two horses behind him. "Do you need help out of there?" He drops the reins and squatting down, he extended a hand to help her up.

Kate just nodded and accepted his hand. It was rough with callouses and easily dwarfed her own. Kate was suddenly struck with realization. Here she was, all alone with a strange man, dressed only in her shift and she was soaking wet. When both her feet hit solid ground, Kate reclaimed her hand and took a good step back. She felt dwarfed next to the shadow man. He easily stood head and shoulders above her.

She locked eyes with him and tried not to not to looked cowed. "Who are you?"

"A stranger."

She scoffed. "I knew that. What are doing out here? This is my daddy's land."

"Well miss, I beg your daddy's pardon, but me and my horses were just looking for something to drink. We've been ridin real hard and they haven't seen a drop to drink in some time."

Kate searched his face. He should've been a poker player. It gave away nothing. "Where's your friend?"

"Pardon?"

"Your friend. The one riding your second horse. Two horses, two sets of saddlebags, two riders. You don't expect me to believe you've been ridin both of them yourself?"

His faced cracked open with a smile and a small chuckle. "You seem like a smart girl."

"Well I ain't stupid."

"Never said you were." He paused. "Left my brother back at camp. We've been ridin for a while and we both figured he could use the rest."

Damn him. His face gave nothing away. She couldn't tell if he was telling the truth, or feeding her a load of bull. She takes a step away from him, surreptitiously placing a reasonable distance between the two. He seemed kind enough, but the way his eyes dragged over her. It unsettled her. "Did he now?" Kate replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

A quirk of the eyebrow and smirk of the mouth betrayed the stranger's skepticism of her remark. Apparently her cautiousness amused him.

"Or are you trickin' me? Tryin' to keep me distracted while he steals up on me and makes off with my things." Kate didn't believe the words coming out of her mouth. Rather she was testing the waters. Trying to feel out the edges of this strange character. Not a lot of new people find their way to Bethel and she so rarely gets to speak with them. Kate knew she should be scared. After all she was near naked, alone with a man she just met. Anything could happen to her, yet she persisted. Instead of fright, Kate thrilled by her own impropriety in this occasion. 

Instead of being offended by the accusation of ill intent, the stranger only chuckled. Deep, low, and a little scratchy, like he'd just recovered from a cold. His eyes met hers and Kate became aware of how suddenly tight her chest had become.  _Blue. HIs eyes were blue._ Not sky blue, no they weren't that dark. They were the color of ice. Pale and striking. "Why would I want to trick you?' He said. "Two against one is hardly a fair fight."

 _Oh._ Kate thought.  _Its like that._ "That's awfully blunt. I thought thieves and rogues were supposed to be more clever than that."

"Actually we prefer the term 'scoundrel'."  _There was that damn smirk again._ "Besides," He leaned in to whisper, coming almost too close for comfort. Almost. "Farmer's daughter only got one thing worth stealing." 

Kate struggled to control her breathing. _He wasn't- He would never-._ But he did. The already small space separating them halved in an instant. His breathing had suddenly become as aware to her as her own. It had stiffed the air between them, ghosting across her ear. The sensation sent a small shiver down her spine. She'd never been this close to a man before. Least not one she wasn't related to.

"He's not a farmer." She finally managed to spit out. To her own ears, she sounded a lot more composed than she felt. The stranger took a step back. _Good._ She thought, but that's not how she felt. "He's a preacher." Kate clarified. Her voice a husky whisper.

"Now what sort of preacher lets his young daughter run around freely? Doesn't he know there's all sorts of unsavory characters around these parts?" The stranger feigns surprise and indignation. _A poor one indeed_. Thought Kate, reflecting on the stranger's past comment.

"Actually," Kate says with a small smile. "I hear they prefer the term 'scoundrel'."

A smile. Not a smirk. A real honest-to-God smile crossed the stranger's face.  Kate never seen a thing look so beautiful. "You're somethin' else aren't you?" She might have mistaken the look for actual, genuine affection. 

Kate quickly averts her eyes, suddenly and intensely embarrassed. She fakes a sudden interest in the pair of horses he'd been leading and ambles over to inspect them. Two beautiful bays with lovely red coats. They'd been well taken care of, though they both showed signs of exhaustion. Presumably from the hard ride behind them. The one the stranger implied. She pretended to inspect their bits and bridles, stroking one on the nose, so he wouldn't shy away from her touch. Kate quietly shushed the bay. Still, avoiding eye contact, "So what are you? A travelling preacher?" 

"No." 

The forcefulness of the answer took her aback. "So what are you then? Not many folks come out this way." 

"I like to think of myself as a scientist." Well this was new information. 

Kate spun to face the stranger. "Really?" She asked incredulously. "What kind? There's not much to study out here lest you're studying stars."

He huffed out a short, little laugh. "No. Stars are beautiful, but its people that really fascinate me."  

"People?" This took an interesting turn. 

"Yeah." He says. "I'm really good with people." 

Well if Kate thought he was lying before, he was really pushing it now. "You don't strike me as a people person."

"It's not like that." He clarifies. "I'm really good at reading people. Ya know, to know what they're thinking." 

Now this was intriguing. Kate took a measured step towards the stranger. "Then what am I thinking?" She teased. 

He considers her for a moment and chuckles. Hiding his eyes, he feigns embarrassment. "Now those are hardly appropriate thoughts for a young lady. And a preacher's daughter too." 

Oh she could've beaten him in that moment. Her cheeks blaze red. "No. Really." She chokes out. God she could've killed him. 

Now that he'd had his laugh, he comes back to the present. Making a big show of being serious. He puts on his most serious face and Kate can't help but giggle. For such a large man, he had a way of making himself... smaller. Now he honestly considers her face. Kate watches as his brown furrows. In concentration? Confusion? Then it passes and a smile crossed his face. Almost imperceptible, but it was there. 

"You want to know my name."  _What do you know? Maybe he can read thoughts._ "It's Richard." 

Kate offers a handshake and he takes it. "My name is Kate."  

Richard held her hand for a moment and like a cloud passing over, he darkened. "You think he killed her." 

Kate violently rips her hand from his grasp and takes a stumbling step backwards. "What did you say?" 

Richard shakes his head. "I don't think so, but why don't you ask him? Ask him why he didn't let you see the body." 

"Oh my god." Kate says in horror before fleeing from the man. 

 

 


End file.
